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Apple iPhone 3G Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The iPhone 3G is an amazingly user-friendly touchscreen phone. It includes many powerful features such as GPS navigation, OS X applications, fast web browsing, Apple's famous music-playing capabilities, up to 16 GB of built-in memory, and Wi-Fi support. But at the same time it's a very expensive device that misses a number of features that we've come to expect from high-end smartphones.

Review: July 2008. Updated June 2009.

The iPhone 3G. Another difficult phone to review. Some will love it, some will hate it. Let's try to steer a middle path and avoid the hate mail we received after our original iPhone review last year!

The original iPhone was a flawed beauty. It was one of the first touchscreen-driven phones, and probably the most user-friendly. It had tons of memory, and was one of the best music players on the market. Other great features included the Safari web browser, Google maps, a brilliant LCD display to make the most of the multimedia features, and WiFi support too. But on the bad side, it was phenomenally overpriced and was locked to O2. It had a very poor quality camera compared to the competition. It lacked 3G (a major problem in a multimedia phone, and the only smartphone on the market to be missing 3G) and had limited Bluetooth connectivity, with no filesharing and no support for stereo Bluetooth headsets. Battery life was also poor, and there were various other limitations, such as the omission of MMS. The whole thing clearly demonstrated Apple's lack of experience as a cell phone manufacturer.

So, one year on, has Apple learned its lessons and fixed the problems? Well, the first lesson that Apple has learned is that it needed to release the iPhone worldwide simultaneously. No waiting 6 months for the second generation to appear in the UK. 6 months is a heck of a long time in technology! So Apple learned this lesson and released the iPhone worldwide on 11 July 2008. Secondly, they learned that the first iPhone was too expensive, and so the second generation model is cheaper. Still expensive (£159 for the 16 GB version on a £30 per month contract), but not quite as expensive as before. Still, let's have a reality check here - the iPhone 3G is still the most expensive smartphone on the market.

What about the phone itself? Well, clearly it's a 3G phone, so this fixes the single biggest complaint about the original iPhone. But remember that every single smartphone on the market has this feature, so this is nothing special. However, it does mean that finally the user can make the most of that huge screen and Safari web browser for a really outstanding mobile browsing experience. The 3G feature also supports the music downloading capability of the phone, and we can start to see the second generation iPhone fulfil its potential as a true multimedia device. We'd be mean not to say that it's a fantastic platform for all kinds of multimedia.

The camera is one feature that hasn't really got any better. Apple make a big deal about how user friendly the camera is - it's certainly easy to take pictures (partly because it totally lacks any useful features such as a flash, macro, autofocus, etc that all of Apple's competitors include as standard), and the photo management system is nice too, but the camera quality still lags well behind phones such as the Nokia N95 or Sony Ericsson C902. Some other stuff that we take for granted is missing too, like MMS and video calling for instance.

But the new iPhone does include some powerful new features. First up, there's GPS, combined with Google maps. With the iPhone's huge screen, this is a brilliant implementation of satellite navigation. You can use this for in-car or pedestrian navigation, and can use keyword searches to find places like nearby cafes, etc. Traffic information is also available. Another feature is the App Store, where you can browse, download and buy third-party applications for your iPhone.

So, what to conclude? The iPhone 3G is still a strange kind of phone. Some things it does incredibly well. Others it does badly. Overall it's definitely a big improvement over the original iPhone. Is it worth the money? It really depends what you want from your phone, and what kind of compromises you're willing to make.

Update: With the release of the 3.0 software update in June 2009, Apple have raised their game a bit. The iPhone now has MMS, a copy & paste ability, a landscape keyboard, the ability to connect a Bluetooth headset and some other minor additions. First, let's just say it - "It was about time too, Apple!!!" Gosh, that feels better. Now, we'll calm down and re-assess whether any of our conclusions above are changed by this improvement. It's definitely a much improved phone, and some of the things that really irritated people about the iPhone have now gone away. On balance though, we're sticking with our 4 star rating. Not, as some have suggested, because we're "apple haters" (on the contrary, I eat one every day) but because the iPhone 3G is just about the most expensive phone on the market and it STILL doesn't have some features that much cheaper phones have got. You'll need the new iPhone 3G S for the full 5 stars. Of course, it's always worthwhile to compare handsets before you buy, in order to find the best smartphone for your needs.

Features of the Apple iPhone 3G include:

  • OS X Operating System
  • Assisted GPS
  • 2 megapixel camera
  • Display: 480 x 320 pixels (3.5 inch) touchscreen
  • Music player (AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV formats)
  • Memory: 8 Gbyte or 16 Gbyte flash drive
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), 3.5mm headphone jack
  • WAP, EDGE, HSDPA
  • Size: 115 x 62 x 12.3 mm
  • Weight: 133g
  • Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) plus UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • Talktime: 5 - 10 hours
  • Battery standby: 300 hours
  • Audio playback: Up to 24 hours

Apple iPhone 3G User Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

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Average rating from 101 reviews:

Reviewed by Neil Maidman from England on 3rd Jan 2012
I have an iPhone 3G and until recently I was very happy with this phone. Unfortunately the update software 5.0.1 has failed to work properly. The Phone now over heats and battery runs down in about 3 hours. I have to always switch the iPhone off to keep it cool. The software can not be removed so I hope Apple repair the software quickly. At moment no one at apple seems to care. nielmaidman@gmail.com
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Reviewed by Mr Bob from TOP SECRET NUCLEAR BASE on 7th Oct 2008
PEOPLE WHO NO HAVE PURCHASE iPHONE STOP COMPLAIN. ONLY REVIEW IF iPHONE HAVE PURCHASE. ANNOY ME TO READ IT DOES, POINTLESS VIEWS OF WORTHLESS PEASANTS.
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on 7th Oct 2008
Mr Bob, I don't think you've got an iPhone either, but I thought your viewpoint worth including :)

Reviewed by jason from south africa on 7th Oct 2008
just like the one before, just with 3g not as good as a bold, its the best
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Reviewed by The Admiral from England on 7th Oct 2008
From reading the reviews I concluded that people either love or hate the iPhone. But after a great deal of consideration and looking at a lot of the alternatives - Samsung Omnia etc I still kept being drawn back to the Apple, so I eventually gave in and bought one (Pay As You Go). This phone is brilliant I used to carry around my iPod Classic, my phone and my PDA - now I just carry this. It does everything I want/need it to do & more. Ok the camera isn't the best one out there, but it takes perfectly adequate pictures and if I wanted to take lots of piccies or in less than perfect conditions I would use my digital camera anyway not a phone! Just a couple of small niggles - I do miss MMS and it would be nice to be able to use purchased music from itunes as ringtones as they can in the USA (the ones that come with the phone do leave a lot to be desired) That said however after having had it for a week now I still absolutley love it and would recommend it to anyone
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Reviewed by Roger Mortimer from England on 7th Oct 2008
Some of the reviews below confirm that, as ever, anything Apple does seems to attract the hatred of some serious wackos. The reviews of the Samsung Omnia make this even clearer - some of them talk more about the iPhone than the phone they're supposedly reviewing. Take a chill pill, people! For example, "poor contact management" – what do you want it to do, phone people at random and introduce you? Sorry, all it can do is store information - you have to make the friends yourself. That's not to say the phone doesn't have any faults. The virtual keyboard is tricky to use - in particular the space bar could be bigger so you don't constantly hit c or v by mistake - and in my case at least this hasn't got better with familiarity. Also the camera is lower spec than some, so it depends how important this is to you - to me, not at all. Also, email is not as instantaneous as it was on my Blackberry - but then I'm not paying £15 extra a month for email, as I was then. And yes, text forwarding would be a useful feature. All in all, great but not perfect, hence 4 stars. I would also add that the battery life could be better.
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Reviewed by Luis from United Kingdom on 4th Oct 2008
This phone has so many features which make every other phone boring.. This phone offers so much more than any phone. Period. All the new apps, internet ect can keep the user interested for much longer than your nokia. This phone is so swift. Not slow at all. You want slow, get a Nokia. I have had about 3 nokia smart phones, and have had about three of each. they all have issues with the memory cards, you have to reformat them all the time.. Nokia are so slow and boring with nothing to offer. I have had the N82 for 9 months and it's so rubbish. I never use the 5 megapixle camera, i use my 10.3 canon i got for £70 i got from currys a few months back..
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Reviewed by Chezzaboy from England on 2nd Oct 2008
Definately the WORST WASTE of MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT. Yes, I am English, but the fact that a naff phone which does virtually nothing (Including the very thing it was originally purchased for) is not a taste relative to a continent. Yes, there is no bluetooth sharing. Yes the camera is dreadful. Yes there is no MMS facility. Yes- you can't save texts into folders, ets. Yes the tiny text input buttons are small and very hard to use unless in deep concentration. Yes the message tones are naff. Yes it is COMPLETELY set up to make Apple a profit, needing replacing within two years, non-sim swappable, and even music wise. Yes the interface can be incredibly slow. Yes it is big. But hey! It looks good, is the accessory of the moment, and it is primarily, purchased as a devise for good internet use. All these things can be overlooked (the fact that it is actually a huge step BACKWARD in technologh compared with MOST other smartphones on the market today) because of the internet facilities. Ahem. The internet facilities that DO NOT WORK. The reason for howning this phone? NONE. THE APPLE iPHONE IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME, MONEY AND EFFORT. AVOID AT ALL COSTS- I WISH I HAD! USELESS.
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Reviewed by Lisa from UK on 2nd Oct 2008
This is one,of the best phones I've ever had.Its really great. Im always on the go, but need the internet at my finger tips, This is the phone for anyone like me.
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Reviewed by SeanC from UK on 30th Sep 2008
Third party sales reception, public enthusiasm, web response and revenue generated to date are enough alone to indicate the honest quality of this creation. Nuff said.
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Reviewed by Simon from UK on 27th Sep 2008
I am convinced that the bad review writers are deliberately placed to put people off. I have had all the nokia mobiles - the iphone 3g has never crashed, its intetnet browser is both fast and slick, far more manipulative then anything nokia can come up with. Yes it is missig some features however this will require some software updates. What it needs to get 5 stars - MMS / improved camera - 3.2 at least / Itunes UK to allows us to convert paid tunes into ringtones - only US account holders can!! / The rest is the best - it is ground breaking - unlike the others who just plod!!
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Reviewed by Bonzo from Uk on 27th Sep 2008
Great best phone ever, pros far outweigh cons.
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Reviewed by Hugs from UK on 27th Sep 2008
Fantastic device... Oh, and it's a phone! Too many people complain about the iPhone's 2m pixel camera. Please be aware that the mega pixel rating has nothing to do with the quality of picture, but has an affect n the overall picture size. The iPhone has a fantastic image sensor for a 2m pixel camera. However you do need adequate lighting. The iPhone somehow sets a new standard for portable mobile devices. Other devices like the HTC and Omnia do way too many things, making it an over-complicated device with far too many menu options and sub settings and trinkets. When other manufactorers finally catch up to mimick the iPhone, the next generation iPhones will hit the shelves.
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Reviewed by Karen from UK on 26th Sep 2008
Long live Iphone. Long live apple. The beautiful slick design and the owesome. people's are just yelling for nothing if you dont like it GO and GIVE IT BACK, ask for your refund and shut up. I think five stars are not enough please add 100 stars. Thanks....
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Reviewed by Gary from Uk on 25th Sep 2008
Sounds like youve all been sucked in on this one! Ill wait for the N96-N97! Sounds like youve all bought an Ipod that dials out! You all keep on paying on youtre 18 month contracts! MUGS
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Reviewed by Ricardo from UK on 23rd Sep 2008
Is everyone deluded???? Rubbish phone and rubbish network (o2)! (Match made in heaven!) - No MMS - No video calling - Slooooooooow or non existent 3g network - Consistent crashing (even with 2.1) - Missing basic functions like text forwarding (my Nokia 1100 can do that) cut/paste - Bluetooth device incompatibility - Can't be used as a modem to connect a PC - Web pages don't work as they require plug-ins - 2mp camera - the standard now is 5mp - No flash - Poor battery - Touch screen is pretty tho - wow!!! Most of the functions above are 'as standard' in most new phones! Get a Nokia N96 - so much more advanced!
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Reviewed by tom from Uk on 23rd Sep 2008
I have never owned such a bad phone in all my life the Internet Is so slow it's uneliveble the battery life dies after around two hours music playback so what am I suppost to do on my way home apple I hAd the original I phone and I never had one problem I even bought two of those and gave one to my mother because it was sogood and easy to use althougth this brick of a thing is complete load of rubbish apple should have thought about what they could have done to improve the iPhone not kill it the I phone give been waiting to kill not waiting for my gosh I paid £350 for a house brick how woundedfull oh and that software update what a load of rubbish 2.1 makes me miss calls all the time and the house brick hangs up on me all the time apple make something worth wile before we all callyou pear because that's where you're heading pearshaped this is my personal opponion and apple geeks you do not need to sit and bitch about this I will return my I phone 3g and either get a refund or exchange apple never again .......
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Reviewed by Denton from South Africa on 19th Sep 2008
It's RUBBISH!!!!!!! Don't buy this phone, because it freezes ALOT!!! It doesn't play my music properly e.g. if i wanna play Sum41 - No reason it will like play one of my other songs like Green Day - Holiday. Long live NOKIA!!
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Reviewed by Mike from UK on 18th Sep 2008
I love my iphone 3G seriously, come on every one you are just complaining because apple did not add this and that, people who complaint a lots, please don’t take me wrong,, may I suggest that you are not using the iphone to it full-potential, they are a lot of useful application and games available on apple website then any other phone I came across, most games and application are FREE and others are cheap to buy.. beside talking about 3D games, are they any phone on earth that offer anyone playing 3D games, I don’t think so, every phone have good-side and bad-side, I don’t find anything wrong or different with iphone, I will not buy an iphone if am looking for 5 megapixel camera,, will I, no, so think before buying one. Iphone makers you deserve a STAR from me.
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Reply by Robin Pearce from UK on 21st Sep 2008
So you want a pocket games machine. Fine then the iphone is for you. So it does have a use after all then.

Reviewed by randy from philippines on 17th Sep 2008
all of the features are good and quite reasonable EXCEPT for the camera. 2 megapixel? are they serious?
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Reviewed by josh from canada on 16th Sep 2008
i love it i couldnt live without it i donno why people say u cant use ur thumb on it i do alll they time for texting
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Reviewed by Shirin from UK on 15th Sep 2008
I recently sold my HTC Window mobile just buy an Iphone, and now I deeply regret for buying iphone does nothing compare to HTC Window mobile. I think peoples need to read more reviews and look in-store the device itself and features on iphone before making an attempt to go ahead for purchasing...If I knew.. having got my Iphone,,,well not so bad any way, it's does what every other phone has, beside having a phone is just to make a CALLS, TEXT and BROWSE the web that all!!!
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Reviewed by Simon from uk on 15th Sep 2008
I've just upgraded from an N95 to an iphone 3g and let me just say: iPhone > N95 !!!!! By a country mile. Best. Phone. Ever.
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Reviewed by trix from uk on 15th Sep 2008
best fone on the planet
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Reviewed by Robin Pearce from UK on 13th Sep 2008
Having put my sim card back in my N95 & given up with the iphone becuase it's so horrible to use, I realise one of the most annoying things about the iphone is point 8) below. 1) iphone Bluetooth is incompatible with most other devices. I believe this was done deliberately by Apple. That makes me very angry. 2) Can’t switch off predictive text. 3) Can’t enlarge font size in text entry box. Why have a relatively large phone screen then leave the customer with tiny fonts ! 4) Cant forward SMS’s 5) Can’t sort order of internet bookmarks 6) Last Incoming & last outgoing calls mixed up in one call log so difficult to distinguish outgoing from incoming calls. 7) Myspace music doesn’t play. Same with other sites where plugins are needed that won't run on Apple platform. 8) Can't use with one hand as with most phones where a little group of selection keys gives access to most functions with a single thumb stroke. The iphone touch screen is too sensitive to the duration of finger stroke. Has to be quick stabs with index finger so thumb doesnt' work well. The iphone is a big slippery lump you need two hands to operate. 9) Any phone screen, including the iphone screen, is too small to use the internet conveniently. I've got a PC at work & two at home. Do I really need the net in my pocket ? No not with a silly little phone screen. The iphone is very slick & impressive but alas ergonomically poor. The wow factor is there initially but then you find it’s not so nice to use. In fact it's a bit gimmicky & I can't forgive Apple for the bluetooth issue. I'm happy to be taking my iphone back & switching back to my N95. [Reply by Andy from UK on 15th Sep 2008: Erm Robin, you could have found all that out before you bought it. I disagree with your opinion but cannot dispute some facts like sms forwarding. Although, i do use with one hand and my thumb... I don't actually understand why you even bothered getting one if as you must have known all this already...] [Reply by Robin on 18th Sep 2008: Erm funnily enough they conveniently forgot to mention it in the phone shop & I never assumed any manufacturer would play dirty tricks to they extent they would deliberately make what is supposed to be an industry standard means of inter device communication (bluetooth) not work with other manufacturers equipment. For that reason alone I wont touch the iphone on principle. Let alone the other reasons I've given.]
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Reply by Robin from UK on 18th Sep 2008
Erm Robin, you could have found all that out before you bought it. I disagree with your opinion but cannot dispute some facts like sms forwarding. Although, i do use with one hand and my thumb... I don't actually understand why you even bothered getting one if as you must have known all this already...

Reply by michael from ireland on 27th Jan 2012
Erm funnily enough they conveniently forgot to mention it in the phone shop & I never assumed any manufacturer would play dirty tricks to they extent they would deliberately make what is supposed to be an industry standard means of inter device communication (bluetooth) not work with other manufacturers equipment. For that reason alone I wont touch the iphone on principle. Let alone the other reasons I've given.

Reviewed by Raymond O 'Haire from Ireland on 13th Sep 2008
i had nokia n95 total rubbish .apple iphone 3g .it just blows me away.it is light years ahead of nokia n95.it is easy to use
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Reviewed by Chris from UK on 11th Sep 2008
Brilliant phone. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasnt owned one. The positive points far outweigh the negatives- People are just picking holes it in instead of seeing it for what it is. I can use this phone everyday and still be interested and amazed in all the features that it has.
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Reviewed by daz from UK on 10th Sep 2008
worst phone ever
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Reviewed by i want a new phone from UK on 9th Sep 2008
It's a decent phone but too many downsides for me. No true multi-tasking. It saves the state of an application but still exits. This means messenger services will close down while you see a website your buddy just sent you. I've seen a friend's Nokia N82 with 60 applications open at the same time! Other things are: -slow USB speeds in comparison to a memory card and reader. -and therefore no expandable memory. -poor battery life. -locked into iTunes so you can't just drag and drop files. -no removable battery - it supposedly lasts 1.5-2 years and then has to be sent to Apple (at a cost) to replace. -no true Flash support. -no copy and paste. -texting is impossible with one hand, and while not looking. -no haptic feedback. -poor expensive tariff, only great if you use it for emailing, internet or as an ipod. -no stereo bluetooth headphone support. -camera is pretty much useless, they shouldn't have bothered putting one in! -no MMS. -no copy and paste. -no "proper" push email. -no native divx/xvid support. -no landscape keyboard in all applications. -average call quality. -low volume. -no bluetooth sending/receiving of files. obvious plus is the internet browsing, and coverflow/music, big screen for movies and GPS and BBC iPlayer etc. apple are on the right track and not bad for a 2nd effort, but have a way to go. This is a great 2nd phone to go along with a Nokia smartphone or Blackberry. It will be interesting to see how the new touchscreen Blackberry Thunder/Storm and the Nokia touchscreen phone up the ante, if they can.
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Reviewed by scott from england on 6th Sep 2008
The more i use this phone the more i am amazed, the potential of this phone is endless,so what if the camera's got no autofocus,the display is great so you can properly view your photos instead of squinting.This phone does have flaws but tell me a phone that doesnt,what it does do it does better than any phone on the market...FACT
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Reviewed by martin Chetty from United Kingdom on 6th Sep 2008
where do i start,this phone does exactly what it says in the advert on tv. had it for 2 weeks now and haven't had any problem with the phone.if you are looking for a new phone i recommend the iphone, will save you shopping around.. the new sony has a lot of problems with there software as usual with sony they froze...nokia don't have anything good out yet .now for those idiot(mook)that went out and bought the iphone and then complain about no camera in the front no 5 mega pixel..... oh get a life or learn how to read you cannot diss the iphone if on the box it says no video calls or doesn't have a 5mpixel camera... if you had read that then you wouldn't buy an iphone would you ????????? so stop saying it doesn't have this it doesn't have that cause its not on the box..and people out there that wants to get an iphone and knows what you are getting or watch the advert then get one. i did.... big up purple hayes.......
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Reviewed by Annoyed from UK on 6th Sep 2008
An absolute piece of rubbish. I only gave it 1 star for effort. I was given this phone by work as a replacement for my Blackberry. After 3 days the iPhone went back and I got a Sony C902 and another RELIABLE Blackberry. While they are not as pretty as the iPhones they do the job they are meant to. It's way too big. This is a phone only men should be seen with. On day 1 it crashed 3 times for an average of 15 minutes! I couldn't even receive calls. The screen just froze and rebooting didn't work. I had all the updated software. On day 2 I brought it back to work. The IT guys ran out and handed me another one before the end of the day with my e-mail all set up etc. I went home and put some snogs from iTunes on it and.....IT FROZE AGAIN! Later that evening I realised I hadn't set a PIN code on it so I went to do that and......IT FROZE AGAIN!!!!!! This time it froze for over 3 hours. On day 3 I gave it back to the IT guys. At this point several of us had been given iPhones and out of 8 handed out, only 3 didn't have any problems. From next year we will all be back on Blackberrys as the iPhone was an experiment that went horribly wrong.
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Reviewed by anas padal from india on 5th Sep 2008
i tink dis fone ij quite goood in india i don tink it the besht fone dough
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Reviewed by melody from australia on 5th Sep 2008
ABSOLUTLY LOVE this phone everyday i find a new feature that is absolutly astonishing... love love love it
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Reviewed by daz from uk on 4th Sep 2008
best phone ever
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Reviewed by Angela from England on 4th Sep 2008
IPHONE, is stupidly rubbish!! The advertising seems very misleading about this product!! You would think such a "High Quality" Phone would have some of the basics as "Normal" other phones such as: Bluetooth data to other people, have your own music as a ringtone and MMS. (the ringtones they have are rubbish sumsung have even better ringtones. So if all you want to browse the internet and make calls then this is the phone for you!! Don;t go on O2 cause you have to get stuck with an expensive tariff of £45 a month with only 800mins!!!
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Reviewed by rich from england on 3rd Sep 2008
Can i just point out to all of those that say you can't send a txt to more than one recipient that this is wrong because you can, once you have entered the first name in the "to" box just start typing again and voila press send. It may not be the best advanced smartphone but its excellent mp3 player is a real seller
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Reviewed by Craig from UK on 2nd Sep 2008
It is a great phone however there are a few drop backs. You cant use flash and there isnt a video player. However if you truly want to experience what the iphone has to offer you should try jailbreaking the 3G iphone and you will then see why it is the must have phone !! as for the mute button coming off like people have been saying, why dont you buy a protective cover so it doesnt happen !! All in all fantastic phone a must have buy !
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Reviewed by vish from england on 1st Sep 2008
the iphone is brilliant and there is no phone on the market that beats it sure other phones have a better camera but i bought it becuase of the music player , wifi, unlimited internet not some rubbish camera it does what a phone does and anything else is a extra and if i wanted a good camera i would have bought a samsung tocco or sony c905 but iphone 3g is the phone for me
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 2nd Sep 2008
I would love to know how rough Davey G is with his mute button. Its pretty sturdy on all the ones I have seen and on mine.
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Reviewed by Woodsy from UK on 1st Sep 2008
Worst phone I've ever had, do not buy this phone unless all you want is an IPOD with a phone.
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Reviewed by Davey G from Arsenal on 29th Aug 2008
Here is my 3rd review of the iPhone I bought on 31 Jul 2008...and guess what...it is also my 3rd iPhone!!! I have had to take it back to the O2 shop twice for a replacement because the mute button fell off. I am now actually scared to use the mute button on the side coz the shop is never going to give me a fourth new phone. For this reason alone I have to reduce my stars from 3 to 2. Pity. When am I going to be able to forward SMS's and watch Flash...not acceptable Apple!!!
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Reviewed by joe from uk on 29th Aug 2008
hate this phone, the worst i have ever had cant even record videos
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Reviewed by daz from england on 28th Aug 2008
FANTASTIC"
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Reviewed by joe wiley from malaysia on 26th Aug 2008
brilliant phone from apple
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Reviewed by jim cooper from uk on 25th Aug 2008
bought the iphone for the wife and at first was impressed ,should i get rid of my n95 and get one myself.after a couple of days i decided to stick to my 95. the fact of the matter is very low sounds ,and the mute switch is on the side of the phone alas this can be just caught and then you dont know who,se phoning you .so today we are off to the shop to swap the i phone for something else.all in all not a happy experience
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 24th Aug 2008
I have just returned my phone to O2, within the 14 day cooling off period. The reception on 3g was rubbish and I live in an area which is supposed to have good 3g coverage, told me in the shop to switch it off, which defeats the object. If you don't have any reception problems and you do a lot of web browsing then this is the phone to buy, the touch screen is fantastic much more responsive than other phones. I would advise people to wait and see what apple and the network providers do to solve the current problems before getting one.
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Reviewed by **Apple's MASS DECEIT**THE PROOF** from **BUYER BEWARE** on 23rd Aug 2008
GO TO ANY Apple store, look at the 3G iPHONES on display/demo - ALL of them will have the 3G switched off because Apple is well aware that the MALFUNCTIONING 3G HARDWARE CHIP potentially affects 100% of 3G IPHONES and have told staff to SLYLY make the 3G iPhones look as though they have none of the serious call problems that are being reported en masse from countries around the world not just the USA but with countries with well developed, mature 3G coverage too eg UK,Swizerland,Netherlands (just like USA customers have been told to switch to slower EDGE to stop the call problems which is an UTTER SCANDAL considering the reason for buying a **3G** iPHONE + all the $$$$ spent on the **3G** pre-paid call plan. ) With Apple's history of laws suits they will do anything to wriggle off the hook - they look after their own extreme greed driven existence first and foremost - screw the customers just like they have endless times in the past (eg iPOD battery fiasco).
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 22nd Aug 2008
Well, I wanted one since I first saw them. I went for the LG Viewty instead. Hated it. With a passion. Finally got the iphone 3g and I am so in love. Its everything i wanted. Even found nifty little mms tricks and emailing to phone numbers. And you know what all you camera haters? The Viewty may be 5 million compared to the 2 million iphone but the iphone is so much clearer and focussed. I urge anyone to get it. Its amazing. So easy to type on compared to the viewty. And it corrects your spellings based on your sentence not how often you sue a word. I love it. Did i mention that? xxx
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Reviewed by Jean-Pierre from UK on 22nd Aug 2008
THE IPHONE 3G IS THE BEST INVENTION EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Karim from UK on 21st Aug 2008
i was waiting for the omnia to come out until my phone broke and i needed to have a phone immediately ( and not have one of the terrible simple phones till the omnia comes out) and i thought i should give the apple iPhone 3G a chance ( a long term-18 months- Chance) . i knew what it lacked, i just didst think it was as crucial as it could be. using the iphone i have to say it is pretty amusing with the interface , the graphics, the sleekness of its design and the curved glossy back, as well as the speed of the internet connection. apart from that. it is a pretty much limited phone with crippling communication options. a MAJOR defect is that it doesnt have a copy/paste option, ie. you cant use a number sent to you in an email or a txt msg to send in another email or txt. or even any other sort of information. another, you cant actually forward a txt msg, you cant send to multiple recipients. and yet more of a MAJOR SET BACK. is that the text prediction works COMPLETELY the opposite of the way windows mobile does. in a pretty much dumb way. it's like Steve is just doing it to have a laugh.as you are typing on the on-screen keyboard. the text prediction does as follows: 1- offer you only ONE option. 2- if you dont want to use the text it has perdicted for you , you actually have to STOP typing and touch the word. meaning if you continue typing and press the space button, it will select the offered suggestion even if you dont want it. also the battery life is good if you are not really using the phone or the internet , coz if you do. your battery dies almost IMMEDIATELY. the voice coming out of its built in speakers is pretty low. hence a very low ringing volume as well as the vibration doesnt really alert you that much if the phone is in your pocket. which also takes us to wonder why the HECK isnt it possible to use the same phone ring tone to be a msg ring tone and vice versa? internet browsing... hmmm ... a bit controversial; safari is a nice app and it is very useful on mobile, the zooming option is amazing and the landscape view is nice as well. the fact that you could open and select multiple browsing pages is very handy. BUT NO FLASH PLAYER OR JAVA? what are you think STEVE? if we assume we dont need a memory card slot and will use the intentional memory to store stuff ( eliminating the option of file exchange on the go, by even making it worse by not having a bluetooth transfer option) the internal memory of a maximum of a 16GB , is terribly frustration. i mean, if you have a big screen you would probably want to watch movies and tv shows on it, and assuming it is also your ipod you wil need to put your music library on it too. you really think the 16 GB are enough for all that? ( that's if you dont already have th 8GB - may the force be with you) . i will not even talk much about the camera, but as if the choice of only having a 2 MP Cam wasnt terrible enough; the camera software has go no options WHAT SO EVER. it only has ONE button, which is to take a picture ( and no hardware snap button, meaning it is really difficult to take a picture of yourself without you looking at the screen to press the snap - on screen- touch button) . well to sum up, i am severely disappointed in what apple had to offer in this product ( being a huge apple fan) confirming that this phone is nothing but a blood sucking scam from the manufacturers of the best computes ever. if i ever get a chance of having my money back i would. this is definitely not a money well spent deal. i still think the SAMSUNG Omniea respects its user far more than the iPhone 3G does treating the users as they are as beginners as apple are in the mobile phone industry.
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Reviewed by muzammil ahmed from uk on 20th Aug 2008
apparently the best phone apple had ever made. the touch screen is sogood that you don't need to use even a single pen.i was so amazed by the installer because i mean sriously you could get every game and software for free. and + the music is so aloud with the headphones + wifi is da best on it.
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Reviewed by AiPhone from Denmark on 18th Aug 2008
NOTHING BEATS THE iPhone!! or (AiPhone) !!!!!!!!! ROCK ON DUDES!
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Reviewed by armaan khan from india on 18th Aug 2008
this is the gorgeous mobile in my sense. launch more mobile like that. thanking you! armaan khan
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Reviewed by fcbellio from UK on 17th Aug 2008
In a real dilema, I'm loving most of the aspects of the 3G, having upgraded from the 2G, but, 10 days later, I am seriously considering taking it back. Firstly, the negative. I hate the fact that I cannot forward a SMS, all my friends now know that joke texts they send me will stop with me, because I really don't have the time to write them all out again!!! The lack of MMS sending and the messing about in getting to view a MMS that has been sent to me also disappoints me, seeing as every other phone has the facitity to do it. I didn't really think that I used MMS that much, but miss it now I haven't got it. The thing that is bugging me the most tho', and didn't happen with my 2G phone, is the sensitivity of the screen, I spend quite a lot of time on the phone, making long calls, and it seems to of developed the habit of randomly muting, holding, and even in a couple of cases (4 in 10 days I recall) ringing someone from my address book whilst I am on the phone to someone else. O2 can't find anything wrong with the phone, but it really irritates me now. I love - and hate - the SMS IM style latout. I love being able to look back at texts that me and my girlfriend have sent each other over the months, but then you have and arguement, text each other how much you hate each other, then make up and everything is fine again. I want to keep the good bits and delete the bad bits, but can't, and I can't save it to another folder or onto a PC. So everything gets deleted. The camera is amazing in the day, practically useless at night. I have honestly found my download time to be slower with 3G, locks far more often and struggle with connectivity than even my 2G version. The good bits, touch screen amazing, love google maps, especially with the GPS, navigating on foot to find the nearest Starbucks in a town you haven't been to before is now so simple! Love the Ipod and Itunes and App Store functions, putting loads of junk on my phone free then delete when bored. Not bothered about the battery life, always recharge through the night anyway. Can't think of anything else at the mo, as I said in a real 'should I stay or should I go' postion. And 3 days to decide.......... 4 stars, should be 5, so near, but not quite the perfect phone.
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Reviewed by ... from U.S.A on 14th Aug 2008
I wonder why British people hate iPhone? Just because it’s from Apple? No, I love iPhone, because it delivers excellent features!!! So please consider both the brilliant features and lacking features when giving a review! I have experienced iPhone for a month. I always read reviews from this site, I haven’t seen this site been biased at any time, but some people have complained the administrator. I have summarized some advanced features of iPhone; 1)Touch screen: most sensitive, the one and only multi-touch phone so far produced and user interface is as simple as it can be. 2)Configuration: 128MB RAM, 8GB Hard, 400 MHz CPU frequency, 16 million colour display, 3.5” LCD wide screen (480X320), and operating system OS X makes iPhone fast, fun (simply amazing) and enough for anything to run in a phone 3)Brilliant Key board: it’s not just a key board when you need; it’s the key board that you need (different key boards for different situation). Initial letter is automatically Capitalized if you type a name, abbreviations are in capital letters, spelling is always correct: by mistake if you typed “yii” it will be changed to “you” when you press the space key. Many more… 4)Internet: it’s better than your computer. Double click to zoom, Safari zooms anything to best fit, it’s amazing, Safari knows tables, column, pictures, text fields etc… 5)iPod: cover flow, wide screen for video, start from where you stopped (touch a video icon, each video starts from where you stopped earlier, “Play now” to start music from where you stopped) 6)Supports: Send and receive emails with attachments, Google maps, YouTube, PDF, addition fonts, IM Chat program, games, Wi-Fi, EDGE, Bluetooth 7)Installer: there is a program called “installer” for iPhone, everyone will love the iPhone when you get the installer. Open the installer, you will see hundreds of FREE programs for iP hone in category view (3rd party programs too), install what ever you like and when ever you want. 8)Customize: arrange and/or hide icon, change theme customize system messages like “UNLOCK” instead of “slide to unlock” – just do anything (everyday the phone looks NEW). Install an iPhone browser or an iPhone viewer to your PC (FREE) so that you can customize iPhone ringtones, its not a must that you have to buy ringtone from apple, you can make it using these programs and save/view PDF files/Word documents on your iPhone and install fonts. Default is set to preview SMS on screen even phone is locked, many people hate this. Switch Off/On SMS preview is available. All Nokia phones have security features Phone lock code, pass-code lock or key board lock with security code as in iPhone, but not in all 5 stars smart phones! Same like iPhone not a single Nokia phone is ranked with 5 stars, but many Sonyericsson phones without security feature are ranked just because of camera or what... Oh! The interest of UK people is different! But I have not seen people taking pictures with highest pixels of their camera, because either they can’t zoom in or phone is slow/can’t preview them, or 2MP is enough (you can print to as large as A4 size images with 2MP). So what’s the use of 3.2MP or 5MP cameras without optical zoom or other great features? I meant Megapixels is not everything!!! iPhone is behind all the other smart phones in many ways! 1)SMS: You have to type the message every time you need to send, you cant resend, Forward, Send to All, send to a Group, save in Draft, SMS texts from note book or copy paste anything, these features are there nearly in all smart phones. 2)File transfer: the only way is emailing; no Bluetooth, no infra, no MMS, you can’t even use memory cards to transfer files. 3)Camera: very poor camera, just 2MP, nothing else, can’t zoom 4)No 3G, “mark” or “select” feature is not available, can’t delete or email selected files, do it one by one… I appreciate the incredible features of iPhone and hope they will do a much better job next time! "Buyers should buy the phone only if they like the phone, we have enough choice I hope!"
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Reviewed by Joe Baker from UK on 12th Aug 2008
I've heard lots about how good looking the iphone is and how easy to use. But what can it do (aside from play music)? The PDA apps. - contacts management, calendar, are micky-mouse. Not a contender in the serious user market.
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Reviewed by Suz from England on 11th Aug 2008
I got my Iphone on saturday and have packed it back in the box ready to take back to the store. I was so excited to get the phone but personally found it to be really disappointing, I think Apple have spent too much time witht he WOW factors that they've failed to give the phone the basics that all other mobile phone have e.g MMS, Camera flash, Video recording and BlueTooth for file transfers. I'm going to try either a Samsung Toco or a SE W960i, hope they're better?!
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Reviewed by Jade from Scotland on 11th Aug 2008
Complete and utter rubbish. I refuse to pay money to become Apple's bitch
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Reviewed by ToriaOxford from United Kingdom on 9th Aug 2008
Further to my previous reviews (apologies for multiple postings!) but I thought I should add a few comments. I do love this phone but I have now returned it because I simply find it too restrictive for the following reasons i) no bluetooth functionality with PC/Mac etc..., ii) you cannot download your own ringtones unless you reformat them or buy them from iTunes, iii) no MMS - I thought this wouldn't be a problem but it has proved to be and iv) the camera is appalling! It simply doesn't offer enough in terms of what I've been used to and, to add insult to injury, the 3g coverage in my area (Oxfordshire) is appalling - having said that, I tried a Pay as you Go O2 SIM card in an unlocked Nokia N95 and this gave me 5 bars so whether the iPhone has a really weak antenna, I'm uncertain but it seems rather odd! I will stick to my N95 for now and upgrade to the N95 8GB when it's back on Orange! I wouldn't say don't buy this phone if you can put up with these missing features be cause it is a lovely handset and what it does well, it does very well, i.e. email, web etc.. but these missing / poor features are just so frustrating. I'm only giving it a 3 star grading now because of these issues.
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Reviewed by Davey G from Arsenal on 9th Aug 2008
Important follow up to my last review: The mute button (just above the volume buttons) fell off!!! It is just a stupid hollow cap glued on. But this was an excellent chance for me to test the Customer Services of the O2 shop. Naturally the first response was that it must be repaired coz it is company policy. So I pointed out that it was also company polict that I had a 14 day cooling off period and if I didnt get a new one, now, then I would cancel. Guess what...new iPhone :) The shop "claimed" they have never seen this before but have a look on the web and you will see this is a common problem. and dont get me started on iTunes 7.7...if this freezes my PC one more time. This software release is very buggy and hates windows at the moment...not happy!!!
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Reviewed by kruton9000 from UK on 9th Aug 2008
The iPhone continues on the same line as the computers. May not have all the features but class leading in design and usability. The only thing against it in my opinion is the battery. The camera is fine enough for a mobile, if I want decent photos any dedicated digital camera will wipe the floor with even the best camera phones, so I will use my Nikon. O2 plan includes free browsing so as a internet tool it really is the next best thing to the PC (or Mac). The screen is ultra responsive and beats the competition hands down. As for freezing this is often due to the apps downloaded from itunes, some are more stable than others. I learned this from using my Ipod Touch, read reviews at bottom before downloading. I think had Apple included a charging dock with the iphone (I don't think that's too much to ask considering the price), this would have been a good move as putting it down whilst not in use would give it a charge so battery would not be so much an issue plus that lovely shiny back is screaming out for a scuff.
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Reviewed by Virus from UK on 9th Aug 2008
Camera aside this has to be the most perfect multimedia mobile ever. The look and feel is typically Apple and it's responsiveness puts EVERY other touchscreen mobile to shame. Sony has it's Walkman range of phones and I have the latest incarnation the C902 and although good compared to the fully fledged ipod in the iphone, there really is no competition. video playback on mobiles has always been hit and miss, blocky and processor stretching. Not in the iphone, video is perfect and the size means you no longer have to strain to watch. Sure the camera lacks in features and quality, but really mobile snaps are just that, they are not meant to be blown up and printed. Applications are great, Gps superb and web browsing has to be seen to be believed.
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Reviewed by Victoria from UK on 8th Aug 2008
Not at all a bad phone, battery life is awful though, it is the hard true. Camera is not as bad as I expected it to be (considering the fact it doesn't have autofocus, flash etc.) All the features are truly amazing, I didn't even need a manual, just play with it all the time (half a day and half the battery is gone). I think if you compare it to camera phones it will look rubbish, but it's not being marketed as one, it's an internet phone so you can't compare. How many good camera phones have the same quality of browser????? none! It all depends on what you're looking for and what you can compromise on! (like lack of MMS, file transfer via bluetooth, etc.)
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Reviewed by 23 from U.S.A on 6th Aug 2008
nice phone
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Reviewed by Davey G from Arsenal, UK on 5th Aug 2008
Hi readers. Love this website so after owning the iPhone 3G for a weekend I thought I would contribute. Here are my first thoughts: Looks lovely but gets very greasy/slippery to touch without a case. The cases in the shops are rubbish. The UI is almost perfect. The battery life is disgustingly bad. The camera is disgustingly bad. Setting up emails is very easy. The lack of MMS is unexplainable. Had it for three days and it has locked up/frozen on me four times already (not sure why). Using the screen keyboard in portrait mode is tricky...but I am getting the hang of it, slowly. The iPod and Video is excellent. Using Aimersoft DVD to iPhone converter software and it works great for video. Lack of info in the box on day one. There is a lot of assumed knowledge factored in by Apple. Love the Apps Store. Fits well in the pocket. Very lightweight. Enjoy changing the layout of the homescreens but concerned at lack of customisation. Why cant I link a song to a ringtone? Leaving a message on voicemail had "hissy" results. The voicemail "redirection" message is annoying. The voicemail screen menu works well. On the day I bought it I was 50/50 for the Nokia N95. But after a quick play it just had to be the iPhone 3G. Logic didnt and doesnt come in to it. Will I keep it past the 14 days cooling off? This will depend on how many more times it locks up (freezes). The jury is still out. Can only give it 3 stars coz the camera is an embarassment to the industry and the fact that I cant watch Adobe Flash video...Apple really screwed up here. Hopefully the Flash will come very soon???
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Reviewed by Jakdor from UK on 5th Aug 2008
Mmmm...have been toying with the idea of leaving Vodafone after 20 odd years and moving to O2 so that i can get one of these babies...however....having read the reviews below and elsewhere, I'm not going to...seems that Apple (whom I love to bits....use their computers all the time) seem to have come up with a bit of a turkey... to many standard phone features are either not there or do not work to a satisfactory standard....and I was so hoping....Like the user interface, like the style BUT I want a phone that does all this and more and it appears this ain't it....so..will stick with my brilliant Sony Ericsson W810i and V/fone who are also brilliant...have such a good deal with them....maybe the next iPhone will do iy eh....
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Reviewed by Ahmed from U.K on 4th Aug 2008
The iPhone is a great phone, I am writing this review from the iPhone 3g, the internet browsing is outstanding but it's price was to expensive and being stuck with an 18 month contract is painfull....uuuhhhhh
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Reviewed by sparrow11 from England on 4th Aug 2008
And this is only Apples second phone? I mean how many phone models have the likes of Ericcson and Nokia and Motorola put out (to name but a few)? When will these "established" players come up with anything that even remotely gets near an iPhone. With the first go they finally found the combination of ease-of-use and technology to make browsing on the Internet actually fun. Actually the best thing about the iPhone for me is Visual VoiceMail - how is it the likes of Nokia and Sony never thought of that? Oh, and with a £6 set of AV cables, plugging the phone into the telly and watching a missed episode of Mock The Week from iPlayer, in nigh perfect sound and picture reproduction! So much better than trying the same with a Nintendo WII or from a laptop. Oh, and watching the final cut of Blade Runner, cut with Handbrake, on a train. Using my iPhone as an in-car GPS for a trip to Bristol. Looking up restaurants in Abersoch The iPhone is well...grin-inducing. I was pretty impressed with the 2G version, and with it jailbroken it was a neat affair - with custom icons and games and a hoot load of software on it via Installer.app, plus SSH and Apache running. The 3G isn't quite at that point, though the games via the App Store are far more advanced, and some of the community apps have transferred to the App Store and been made better with the software development kit. The number of applications already available (many for free) is phenominal - way better than any equivalent support for other smartphones. As a phone it is super, with it's ease of use in accessing confernece facilities etc that , although they exist on other phones, are nigh impossible to use. The camera? Hopeless. But I don't take pictures with a phone - I have a Canon 450 SLR for that! The browser? Easily the best mobile implementation on the market, even without Flash. The screen? Ha ha! No-one comes even close to the quality of the iPhones screen. It makes watching movies and downloaded TV programs from ITunes (via my Mac) a genuine pleasure. Apple should make non-computer LCD screens judging by the iPhones nigh perfect reproduction. The iPod music functionality is, as expected, spot-on, and plug the phone into my tube-driven amplifier produces the best sound reproduction I've heard from a digital unit (albeit the valves do help!) But best of all, reading the hopeless complaints of the critics - and even a few folk who find it too complex (what one button!) is as usual, super fun. I've paid over 369 quid to Apple, plus my regular £35 to O2 inside a year - and if this is being ripped-off, bring it on!
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Reviewed by Lobo86 from UK on 4th Aug 2008
1. MMS - Yes Apple fan boys think everybodys got web enabled mobile w/email, but that simply isnt the case. eg I want to send a picture to Gran's mobile of her new grandson, almost every new mobile has MMS bulit in and is cheaper than sending emails for friends with prepaid plains. So yes NO MMS = NOT user friendly and is useful to the majority despite what Apple fan boys 'say'. 2. Video only illegally and STILL poor quality as the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of reviews of the original iPHONE agreed about the "camera" backward nature (unlike Apple fanatics the general PUBLIC quite rightly DO expect a mobile phone thats costs the same as the iPHONE 3G OVERALL to have ALL the basic functions common in modern mobiles (that you are SO EASILLY SATISFIED with SO MANY missing basic functions is your incredibley LOW expectation + standards making you a SCAM company's IDEAL CASH COWS) .Its complete delusion(and desperately trying to cling on to a reason to explain the amount of money they've in reality spent on such a DUD) Apple fan boys ( + Apple) telling us that we should accept that Apple INTENTIONALLY released a product with so many basic features MISSING for SO HIGH a price (People don't |JUST use a mobile for how PLEASURABLE it is to use its also a TOOL/GADJET that performs many practical F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N-S that save time and effort ( eg thats MEANS NOT havi ng to (remember to) recharge a PHONE EVERY SINGLE DAY - VERY UNUSER FRIENDLY if you have a real life - Having 2 replaceable batterys(1 spare) would make things infinately easier + more convenient). Look below how ARROGANTLY they are telling you what they think you should expect fairly to be using your mobile for and not expecting anything else for such a price is REASONABLE!!!! - its mind boggling apple would leave video off Iphone 2. 3. Full Blue tooth functinality( not the pathetic crippled excuse for it on the iPhone 3G) again ignoring end user wants and deciding for you what uses of your mobile phone are important or not (instead of more suitably letting the owner having a FULL range to choose from and make their OWN MINDS up!!). Apple doesnt want you to use Iphone a modem to a laptop because you can more easily wander away from there tightly lock downed profit centers via laptop than the Iphone. Honestly I see no reason right now to get a iPhone I think LG's Dare or Viewty are FAR superior phones you get an infinately more functional, flexable phone - with a such a superior choice of selection of functions to more likely satisfy the countless individual user choices - in complete contrast to the LIMPING DISABLED IPhone 3G 4. There seems to be an excessively large number of posts below that are all complaining about a MERE SINGLE negative post - "thou doth protest to much" springs to mind.After all if you'd just made a huge financial investment that turned out to be a complete DUD you wouldn't want to admit it to yourself and ESPECIALLY not let others find out and loose the only value - prestige - it had left.Also they complain about this not being a forum just for reviews, then contradict themselves by using it as a forum to tell others about the negative posts lack of value???If they had any integrity and stuck to their stated beliefs they would leave it up to the reader to make their own mind up instead of using all their own reviews to give their "opinion" on it!
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on 4th Aug 2008
OK, some valid points here, but please only leave a post if you own the phone!

Reviewed by Big tall Paul from United kingdom on 3rd Aug 2008
I want to give this phone a lesser rating, but I can't! The lack of mms I did not know about until I got it home, and I do love mms! The camera is not brilliant but the screen makes pictures look so good. But regards everything else? It is just amazing. The touchscreen is so responsive, the menus are fantastic and there are constant updates (heres hoping mms update soon). The sound from the ipod section is miles better than my ipod nano 2nd gen, and worth the price for that alone! Itunes is still as hard to get used to as ever and you can't run this phone without it (or even activite it!). Overall, if mms and higher megapixel camera were added, this phone would get full marks from me. As it is, very close to being the perfect gadget/ phone there is.
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Reviewed by totus from uk on 2nd Aug 2008
the phone is really good, it has alot of good features but also some down sides. the ringtones are rubbish, battery life disgraceful, i charge mine every night. the camera is poor for such a good phone. i dont regret buying the phone.
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Reviewed by Derrick Crevic from america on 30th Jul 2008
this phone is ok i guess not that bad.but its still just adding faster internet and faster things to get to than the iphone.if u do have an iphone but then want iphone 3g i wouldnt waste my money
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Reviewed by Bob Russell from UK on 30th Jul 2008
It all depends on what you wnat from your phone, but for me the new iPhone is almost perfect. The single biggest selling point is that tha rather than having to carry around my iPod and a phone, I get both in the same device. We allknow that other phones can store and play music but iPod's lead in the mp3 player market is not for nothing. Factor in ease of use, great sms implementation, call handling, visual voicemail, superb email and calander apps and you've got a superb device. However, if you rely on your phone for MMS or for taking photos in the dark then you'll need to look elsewhere. Whilst the 2MP camera punches above its weight in the light, the complete lack of a flash renders it useless in low light. For me, though, I don't really use the camera on a phone so I'm not missing out. The genuine issue with this phone is the battery life. You have to charge the iPhone every day. I'm not a very heavy user but come the end of a day the battery is such that its clear it wouldn't last through the next, so an overnight charge is essential. When you get a high end device you don't want to have to switch off all the best features in order to preserve battery life - otherwise you might as well have spent £20 on a Nokia PAYG. So with 3G et al switched on, the battery soon runs low. Having said that, I've quickly got into the habit of a nightly charge and it's not a real problem. In short, this is the best phone I've ever had and it's a genuine joy to use. You'll need to look at your expectations and requirements to know whether the same is likely to be the case for you.
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Reviewed by zeechild from UK on 27th Jul 2008
The negative comments surrounding this phone just dont seem to be justified. Even though o2's £G network does not cover everypart of the UK all you have to do is check with them online and see how good it is in your area. I have has the phone for about a week now and it is by far the best phone I have ever owned. I am in no way an apple fan boy I just like things that work simply. The touch screen is far more resposive than any other on the market, especially anyhthing offered by Samsung or LG (I had the Prada for 2 days then returned it) Sure the camera is poor and there is no video calling but the things that it does well make it a joy to use. The best thing about the new phone is the app store (also available on the original one). Some of the applications are just brillaint. Offering one touch solutions for facebook, last FM and ebay are superb. The screen is great for movies and the 8gb of memory makes it easy to pack in a good amount of music. The battery has worked well so far. No 3G phone is going to have the stamina of a 2G handset so people expecting a weeklong standby time are going to be sorely dissapointed. The speed over 3G is great. Web pages load quickly and apps like last FM st ream staight to your phone without to much delay. The only downside is that they should have provided mms and a better camera. Being able to tilt the phone sideways to type sms and email would also help. They also need to fix Itunes as it keeps crashing my PC. With new apps arriving all the time the iphone should keep me happy for the 18 months i am trapped with o2. Yes the adverts are smug and annoying but this really is a great phone.
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Reviewed by Rodolpho from Switzerland on 24th Jul 2008
Look guys, if you hate Apple, just don't buy any of their stuff. As for those who love their iPhone, like me, do you think that's just because it has an Apple logo on it? This phone offers by far the best touch screen so far, and its UI concept is actually revolutionary. And this, in my opinion, is already reason enough to use it. Sure, it lacks things that other phones offer for years, but not everyone misses them that much. I used to own a 5 Mp Samsung, but when in need of a (real) camera, I would never have completely relied on it. (And my regular camera is not an expensive SLR, it's just a little Ixus.) And I do use the mobile browser with my iPhone, and even the EDGE data speed of the classic iPhone is quite sufficient. Sure, it can never be too fast, but it's still pretty much usable. I have my entire photo collection on it, and with its nice and big screen you can easily show them to other people. So, believe me, it's absolutely possible to have quite a happy mobile life with the iPhone. Sure, you won't win a contest when it comes to the most advanced features available, but hey, that's not what the iPhone is about. Once you accept this, you can live happily with the great features it offers. And there are many.
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Reviewed by Ciaran from UK on 23rd Jul 2008
This would have had 5 stars from me. I love the phone, I love the interface. It's small. It does mail and browsing almost as well as my PC. I can't rely on it, though. I have to limit myself from using it because the battery life is so poor. The battery lasts less than a day, which is pretty inexcusable. So it's going back to the shop, with regret, because I really do love this phone: but what's the point of a good phone if it's out of juice?
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Reviewed by Myles from England on 22nd Jul 2008
The iphone 3G is without a doubt the best phone ever to be made! Firstly, the layout is easy, the home screen has all the icons you need to find your way around the phone. The home screen includes these icons: Ipod phone sms text Camera + lots more secondly, their are thousands of things to download, some free. You can download things from games, to ringtones to your health record. But their is one tiny problem, that is the predictive text that you can not turn off. This is not that bad, it just means that a few words change, but its not the end of the world. Overall this phone is OUTSTANDING!
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Reviewed by lewis from england on 22nd Jul 2008
this phone is good but not worth the £1000 i paid
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Reviewed by MP from UK on 22nd Jul 2008
What is the point of the 'Apple PROPAGANDA' rant? Isn't the idea to review the phone not the phone reviewer? Okay, iPhone's a flawed beast but the things it does well it does SO well it can be forgiven!
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Reviewed by Joe from UK on 22nd Jul 2008
@ Apple PROPAGANDA You are talking rubbish. This is a superb phone. Have you tried the camera? i dont think so because it is not that bad. This is a great phone/gadget.
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Reviewed by Funster from Japan on 22nd Jul 2008
I bought this phone on the 11th of July as soon as it was released, and it has been an absolute pleasure to use since. I have to reiterate one of the points someone else made on one of these reviews, the negative reviews seem to be from people who want something other than what the iPhone 3G has to offer. There are also the gibbering idiots such as "Apple Propaganda" below who has clearly managed to slip a hand out of his/her straight jacket for just enough time as to hammer out that nonsense, as it states quite clearly above this section is for actual users to review the phone, and is not a forum for mindless gibbons to rant. I have found the touch screen controls to be extremely easy to use, and also extremely accurate. The features and syncing capabilities of the phone are outstanding, especially for mac users, and especially for those who use the .mac (now mobileme) service. I am particularly impressed with the texting/mailing functions of the phone, and also the outstanding language support that Apple has placed into the phone (the same standard they seem to put into all of their products). The iPhone allows you to set up a number of keyboards in a number of languages very easily, so I can text and mail in either Japanese or English using either a full QWERTY keyboard or the 10-key style pads. Also, the dictionaries/predictive text function automatically switches between Japanese and English, which is great when typing mails in more than 1 language. I would definitely advise anyone who wants to use their phone in multiple languages to take a look at the iPhone in this regard. My advice to anyone considering the phone would simply be to take a really good look at the functions and make sure that they match your specific needs. It matches my needs perfectly which is why I bought it, and thoroughly enjoy using it. I'm sure that the majority of other iPhone users feel exactly the same as I do.
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Reviewed by ToriaOxford from UK on 20th Jul 2008
Further to my review of the 13th July, on the 18th July I took out a new contract with O2 and got my hands on this beautiful bit of kit. The phone is simply gorgeous and does things it's designed for, i.e. email, web beautifully. However, I have just returned my iPhone to the Carphonewarehouse but ONLY because I have no O2/3G/Edge/phone coverage where I live. The chaps at the CPW will try to say that you don't have a 14 day cooling off period but that is rubbish - just tell them to look at page 40 of the 'Apple iPhone 3g made easy' guide - they should have one in each store - there is a table on page 40 that clearly states that if you are new to O2 and have changed your mind/have no network coverage etc..., then you are entitled to return the handset and cancel the contract. I only found this out by phoning the Carphone Warehouse and speaking to a lovely chap called Any - he put some notes on my 'account' so that the chaps in the store could see exactly what he'd said. I am not saying don't get the iPhone at all - it is a BEAUTIFUL handset and feels extremely robust - I'd just recommend that you check and DOUBLE CHECK the coverage in your area, where you work etc. If you are in the pale blue area, then I wouldn't advise signing up to O2 as we are on the border of the pale blue area and cannot get coverage. If you have good coverage however, I IMPLORE YOU, go and get the phone. It was very hard for me to give it back to the chaps but I wasn't prepared to pay £35/month for 18 months for a phone that simply couldn't deliver 3G - the very thing it is meant to (and this wasn't just at home but also my work address and a book store in Oxford where it totally lost ALL signal! I'm only giving a score of 3 by the way because of my personal lack of connectivity with O2 - this doesn't reflect the quality of the phone!
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Reviewed by nat from usa on 20th Jul 2008
I love this phone. It now adds the ability of push email, calander, and contacts. These features with the BEST mp3 player and mobile internet browser pushes it beyond all other phones. I give it 5 stars...
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Reviewed by griltig from United Kingdom on 20th Jul 2008
Why oh why the negative reviews? This is by far the best phone out there if you happy with the specs. It has so much hype everybody by now knows what it does and doesn't do. If you want it then great if you don't then great again. I think its the best phone for me and i'm sure there's lots of people out there who agree, If you don't like it then ignore the everything about it.
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 19th Jul 2008
Got 16gb model on launch. Absolutely love it, interface is awesome, responsive, and fun to use. The iPod side is perfectly executed, and the web browsing is excellent. The camera is pretty lame, but the handset fits my needs perfectly. Its not for everyone, for sure. But its absolutely ideal for what I bought it for.
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Reviewed by Toria from UK on 18th Jul 2008
Just got this little beast today and it's simply beautiful. People have been complaining about the camera quality but come on, this is a PHONE first, camera second or third! If you want a camera phone, get something like a Nokia or SE. The iPhone 3G simply does so much and so effortlessly and the interface is beautifully simple to use and navigate, especially if you're a Mac fan (but even if you're not a fan or user). The email is a synch to set up and emails can get 'pushed' to your inbox at either 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes or you can do it manually. Photos look great, sound quality is very good - it's simply delicious! Do you get the impression that I like this phone!!??? OK, so it may not have bluetooth (for sending/receiving files etc...) or MMS but they may well come later in a firmware upgrade. This issue with copy and paste I don't quite understand - what's the problem and how often do people need this feature? The only thing I will say that is a BIT annoying is when you're typing a text/email, there is no key to just go back a few characters but if you hold your finger in place for a couple of seconds, a magnifying glass appears and you can move the cursar back or forward. All in all I absolutely LOVE THIS PHONE and if anyone even dared to grab it from my hands, well, lets just say there'd be trouble!!! If you're after a phone that will give you fast email/internet etc... on the go and you don't mind the issue with the camera etc..., then I implore you, GO AND GET ONE! I adore mine!
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Reviewed by Tinaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx from Newcaste on 16th Jul 2008
i Think that this phone is very exciting and things but can u not make one that does not miss out those important features?
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Reviewed by Apple PROPAGANDA from by JOB's filthy LUCRE on 16th Jul 2008
I can't BELIEVE after your LUDRICOUS initial review of the original iPHONE you have done EXACTLY the same again with its [sarcasm]COMPLETELY UNRECOGNISABLE[/sarcasm] 2nd generation. [Editor's comment: Oh no, the hate mail has started again!] "Overall it's definitely a big improvement over the original iPhone. " big improvement? BIG IMPROVEMENT !!! Jesus those discounts(the deal is advertised were everyone can freely see it) and freebies that Apple offer Journalists in exchange for a "review" of their latest product must be incredibley mind bending to make you overcome any last bit of objectivity and integrity you had to tell such a GREAT STINKING WOPPER as THAT! [Editor's comment: Darn, we didn't get any freebies for writing our review.] HOW ON EARTH can it be a *BIG* improvement when its practically the same phone with a couple of feature which were on mobiles YEARS before even the original was released!!!! [Editor's comment: I think that our review explains precisely why we think it's an improvement.] Worse, two of those features are HUGE SWINDLES, firstly the GPS, as the specs state ASSISTED gps ie "FAKE GPS" which is REKNOWN for its unreliability and lack of accuracy (and its cheapness compared to real GPS). FILE transfer is still not possible VIA BLUETOOTH (Apple want to make sure U R fleeced silly by only being able to use iRIP OFF/NEANDERTHAL DRM VIRUS TUNES) - but COME ON its NOT EVEN up to date technology AGAIN - eg its(the bluetooth) MONO for gawd sake *shakes head* "Some things it does incredibly well. Others it does badly." [Editor's comment: You see, we pointed out the bad as well as the good. Do you really believe that Apple would have paid us to write this?] What just badly? What like the Camera and "Prehistoric" blue tooth,the NON REMOVABLE battery, 6 second talk time etc - if you can be so lavish in your praise for its positive points, its negative point are at least as far behind as its good points are advanced. Do you really except anyone to take you seriously by giving a product 4 stars given such SHOCKERS and well past sell by date technologies?Given the price of the iPHONE2 the phrase "stealing candy from a baby" springs instantly to mind! "Is it worth the money? It really depends what you want from your phone, and what kind of compromises you're willing to make." That you ask such a review summarising question that is so WHOLLY subjective and therefore can never have a 'right' yes or a no shows HOW BOUGHT you've been by Apple - its no more than there usual Propaganda to try to give them a valid excuse to charge so much/basically a license to "print money". eg "YES its worth it to me - i would be willing to pay up to a £1000 for a new mobile with all the functionality and practical use of a concrete breeze block, just as long as its looks nice and is shiny 'n' flashes and Apple made it and says i will be cool if i buy it". See TOTALLY cop out ridiculous question *thumbs down* Are you actually supporting the belief that a MOBILE (considering the COST,function, etc etc of ***ALL the mobiles that have EVER existed before the iPHONE2***) that will cost £100s + £100s REGARDLESS including the fixed contract you must LEGALLY buy to use it - SHOULD EVEN BE SO COMPROMISED to the degree it so blatantly still as it is (camera,no real use bluetooth,RENOWN poor call quality,short battery life,NON REMOVABLE battery(loose use of your main phone for weeks and pay YET ANOTHER EXORBITANT amount TO $$$$Apple$$$$ for the job of replacement and the new battery itself) - its THE ONLY MOBILE produced today that still has this last feature - speaks volumes about how much Apple really care about their customers - customers CASH that is :( ) [Editor's reply: OK, thank you for that. We're only going to publish one of these kinds of "reviews". We'd really like to hear from actual iPhone owners. We are not ignoring your points - we think you've made them loud and clear, and we agree with a lot you say. However, we aim for balance and objectivity, and we think that our review is pretty reasonable.]
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Reviewed by Alastair from New Zealand on 15th Jul 2008
I love this phone, however it depends on what you want. The camera is only average at best and it does not shoot video or support MMS, however these are features that are not important to me. The user interface is just awesome and the touch screen easy to use and very intuitive. Internet surfing is seamless (provided you are in a wifi or 3G zone)and the "pinch" options on the screen mean you can zoom in close if you need to. This is my 6th phone in 2 years and easily the one I am most happy with.
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Reviewed by Hugh from UK on 15th Jul 2008
All in all a huge leap forward in nearly all respects. Make Symbian phones look positively archaic. Web browsing is a joy. The apps are brilliant. Highly reccomended. Downsides? The camera is not a patch on my old Nokia N73. Bluetooth seems 1/2 implemented and I miss being able to listen to Radio 4. Apart from that, gorgeous. Should be a real wake up call for other manufacturers.
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Reviewed by megan from UK on 15th Jul 2008
good phone, cameras not to good, neither is the battery but with all the apps and that its good.
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Reviewed by Clear Cut Chap from UK on 14th Jul 2008
While its strengths on User interface etc are great, considering it is the second edition and another crucial opportunity for Apple to redeem itself, it is unforgivable that a music-oriented phone like itself at the high end of the market does not support A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth)! It would have been better if Apple perfected the technology to their standard and delayed the launch of this model to incorporate it. Very dissappointing. What is the use of having a 2 megapixel camera in this day and age without flash/macro/auto focus? That too AGAIN! on the second addition?!! Much as I wouldve loved to concentrate on the strengths, it just doesnt add up to its sheer cost, returned it to 02 and I am waiting for the Sony Ericsson G900i- where all the fundamentals are in place-good battery life, good camera, compact and WiFi. Also more durable than the fragile iPhone. I really wonder how there is still so much 'blind faith' in Apple's ability...surely it must be waning now, especially as the number of returns increase.
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Reviewed by Paul Teale from United Kingdom on 14th Jul 2008
Got mine the the Carphone warehouse friday morning.I had a pre ordered 16gb black and to say I was exited was an understatement. The problems started with a few minutes of being home and starting to sync with my laptop. The phone kept doing backups before syncing and took an age to sync. It also crashed on downloading an app from the new app store, and also the bluetooth couldn't pick up anything, laptop, other phone etc? The worst part about the phone 3g has got to be the battery life, its non exsistent, i mean i hardly used the ipod side of it, and kept the wifi off, and the normal o2 network on (not 3g) and it still didn't last a day! I have to say that its a cracking bit of kit if your stuck at a desk all day, but if your out and about then get a Sony as the battery on those se's last! Ah well my first foray into o2 and it didnt go well.
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Reviewed by Alex from UK on 14th Jul 2008
The Iphone 3G is a big improvement on the original but still lacks in basic features. The camera is extremely dissapointing with only 2 megapixels with no flash autofocus and hardly any settings for pictures. It Also lacks video recording which is hard to believe. It is certainly user friendly and has some really cool features like google maps and the apps store, but would you rather those or lacking really basic features. Apple have done well, but maybe next time they will want to take more time to think through the next phone they make. If you are considering buying an iphone 3g look at similar phones like LG Viewty, touchscreen, amaing camera, the viewty is very user friendly also! O2 is really expensive at the moment with the Iphone, so if you are thinking about getting one maybe wait a bit till the prices go down!
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Reviewed by anne from uk on 13th Jul 2008
the phone was a big let down,a nightmare to sync ,a faulty mic,touch screen worked when it wanted to,went back to the shop 2 days later no stock held back for faulty or damaged phones as apple had not released enough stock for replacements feel very disapointed have now gone back to my N95 which i feel is as good ,my advice there are better phones for less money
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Reviewed by Toria McNeile from United Kingdom on 13th Jul 2008
I have to confess that I'm not lucky enough YET to have an iPhone 3G in my hands BUT from what I've seen of it (and I've had extensive 'plays' with it in CPW and O2), it certainly looks a very 'sexy' piece of kit but I still remain unconvinced as to whether I should take the plunge a) because it would mean switching from Orange and I like them (although they're somewhat expensive!) and b) well, there are still what most of us consider to be standard features missing, i.e. only a 2mp camera, no MMS messaging facility (although to be fair they don't MMS in the USA), no copy and paste function, you cannot forward SMS/MMS messages etc... Also, according to the Manager in O2, if you wish to remove your O2 SIM card and use it in a different UNLOCKED 3G handset, this will invalidate your warranty for the iPhone! Therefore, if you're anything like me, I like to have the freedom to be able to move my SIM card from one phone to another for varying reasons! However, if you're happy to use your SIM in the same phone for 18 months, then this will not be an issue for you but it would drive me nuts! I'm a big Mac fan and therefore it would make sense for me to get this beauty but no-one has yet convinced me 100% yet - if any of you 'chaps' out there can, please feel free to do so. The things I LIKE about the iPhone, from what I've seen (as I said earlier in this review, I do not have one of my own so cannot give a completely accurate review - these are just my thoughts, for what they're worth!), are the over the air syncing via the 'Cloud' of your contacts, appointments etc... (MS Exchange to PC users) but this of course means having to have a subscription to 'MobileMe.com' - another way of Apple to get more money out of us! The GPS, MMS 'layout' (in the form of a 'conversation', a bit like Googlemail), visual voicemail I can imagine would be really useful if you get tons of messages etc... Also, of course, the 'touchflow' interface looks really nice, though I imagine that it would take a little while to get used to the 'keyboard'! To have all (or most!) of your pictures and music on your phone is even better, although if the phone goes wrong, you've potentially lost your music and pictures (although if your sensible, you'd 'back them up' via iTunes anyway! So, to summarise, if my gripes were not really too much of an issue (2mp camera, no MMS etc...), then I'd buy this like a shot but if you think that over 18 months you'll be paying nearly £700, it works out quite expensive!!! However, all that said, I really DO WANT ONE!
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Reviewed by Justin from UK on 13th Jul 2008
I have never seen such a load of inaccurate pointless reviews as the below. The phone is outstanding, the 3g coverage by 02 is fine, if you drop it yes you do have a chance of breaking it..Doh! As for the touchscreen not being great, no idea what other devices you have used but it is by far the best touch screen device on the market.
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Reviewed by Alan from UK on 13th Jul 2008
The phone is a big let down after all the hipe about 3G, this being the reason for changing from the 2G that I was reasonably happy with I soon found O2 3G coverage poor I think O2 should not have been alowed to tie the user in to O2 and let the customer connect to a better 3G provider I cannot give the phone a good rating even though I like it.
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Reviewed by Jack Gilbert from Melbourne, Australia on 12th Jul 2008
BEWARE: DO NOT BUY THE IPHONE 3G. I BOUGHT THIS PHONE YESTERDAY, AND TO MY SURPRISE, ONCE I JUST DOWNLOADED A MYSPACE APP FROM ITUNES STORE, A MESSAGE APPEARS ON THE IPHONE SAYING FATAL ERROR OCCURED. I CAN NOT OPEN OR ACCESS OR EVEN TURN ON THE PHONE. EXTREMELY DISSAPOINTED. I WEN TO OPTUS TODAY AND THEY SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT DESPITE MY 1 YEAR WARRANTY.
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Reviewed by tiger from UK on 11th Jul 2008
overall very good.
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